Longwood University Athletics

FARMVILLE, Va. – For more than a decade, Michelle Meadows has been a behind-the-scenes driver of the growth and development of Longwood athletics. Now entering her 14th year in the department, the 2001 Virginia Tech graduate and first-ballot Hokie Hall-of-Famer will continue that push on the front lines as Longwood's newest athletics director.
 
Longwood University President W. Taylor Reveley IV announced Monday that Meadows was named director of the institution's 14-sport athletics department, earning that appointment after an eight-month stint as interim athletics director and a 13-year tenure in multiple high-level roles within the administration.
 
"Michelle Meadows profoundly understands the mission of Longwood athletics and the university's vision for our program," Reveley said. "She has experience that prepares her for every facet of the job, and she is a deeply valued, admired and respected member of our broader university community who knows this place well.
 
"But perhaps most important is the extraordinary commitment and care she shows every day for the well-being and success of our student-athletes, making use of her own experience to transform lives and shape citizen-leaders. She has demonstrated beyond all doubt she is ready to be the next leader of Longwood athletics."
 
A former softball standout at Virginia Tech who currently serves on the NCAA Softball Selection Committee, Meadows becomes one of only 40 female athletics directors at the Division I level and one of three in the Commonwealth of Virginia, along with Carla Williams at the University of Virginia and Samantha K. Huge at William & Mary.
 
In her eight months as interim athletics director, which began in October 2018 following the departure of 12-year athletics director and I-AAA Builder's Award winner Troy Austin for Duke, Meadows has already guided the department to historic success. In 2018-19, she has presided over a Longwood athletics program that is coming off arguably its best season in its 15-year Division I history, bolstered by the softball program's fifth Big South Championship, a breakthrough campaign from the men's basketball team that featured a berth in the College Basketball Invitational, a second-place Big South finish by Longwood lacrosse and top-three conference finishes by the Longwood women's soccer and field hockey programs.
 
Since Meadows was named interim athletics director, two Longwood coaches – Elaine Jones (lacrosse) and Kathy Riley (softball) – were named Big South Coach of the Year this spring, while first-year head coach Griff Aldrich was selected as a finalist for the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year award.
 
It's also in this period the University received the largest gift in its history: $15 million toward the construction of the new Joan Perry Brock Center, which will host university events and serve as the new home of Longwood men's and women's basketball.
 
"I came to Longwood in 2005 inspired by the vision to continue the rich legacy of Longwood athletics at the Division I level and to do so with a commitment to excellence and integrity," Meadows said. "My experience as a Division I student-athlete and what it instilled in me, along with my unwavering belief in the value of the college athletic experience, fuels a passion in me to pay it forward for our student-athletes and community.
 
"These past fourteen years have been marked by incredible strides, and we have a strong foundation to continuing building upon that thanks to Troy Austin's vision and leadership.  I cannot begin to thank Troy enough for all that he has done for Longwood Athletics and me personally that has equipped me to continue this pursuit."
 
Meadows' time in Farmville has seen her advance Longwood athletics in tireless fashion well before stepping into the interim AD role. Throughout her tenure, she has fueled several groundbreaking initiatives, including the creation of Longwood's Student Athlete Enhancement unit, consolidation of the internal operations cohort, and the facilitation of Longwood's move into the Big South in 2012.
 
Most recently she has expanded Longwood's business operations and academic services offices, streamlining a multitude of internal processes for the department and enhancing academic opportunities and support for Longwood's more-than-200 student-athletes. As a result, Longwood student-athletes achieved a record cumulative GPA of 3.14 this past fall, which was the department's highest since data began being collected in 2008.
 
Those widespread contributions have led Meadows to a steady rise within Longwood's athletics administration, first joining the team as an assistant athletics director of compliance (2005-09), and advancing to associate athletics director (2009-14), senior associate athletics director (2014-2018) and deputy athletics director (2018). She has also served as Longwood's senior woman administrator (2007-19) and held the title of chief financial officer (2014) before taking over as Longwood's interim athletics director in October of 2018.
 
With each of those steps up the ladder, Meadows has earned increased responsibility and oversight. She has supervised offices in charge of Longwood's academic services, business operations, NCAA compliance, facility operations and scholarships, while also serving as sport administrator for numerous sports.
 
Now, after serving the past eight months in an interim role, she will ascend to full-time director of a Longwood athletics department whose structure is laden with her fingerprints.
 
"This is a moment of great promise for Longwood athletics, with unprecedented success for our teams on the field and in the classroom," Reveley said. "Michelle is the perfect blend of real toughness and resilience in the face of the challenges she has faced, genuine expertise in athletics administration, and humility and humanity when it comes to working with young people and leading a program."
 
Beyond her contributions to Longwood's success, Meadows has also held prominent roles at the conference and national level and currently serves on the NCAA Division I Softball Selection Committee. In that role, she is one of 10 college administrators and coaches charged with selecting the 64 teams that make up the NCAA softball postseason tournament, executing the Women's College World Series, and other initiatives to advance the sport.
 
Meadows has also been a fixture on numerous committees at the Big South level and currently serves on the Big South Board of Administrators, Strategic Planning Committee, Hall of Fame Committee, the Men's and Women's Basketball Committees and Softball Committee. Her role as senior woman administrator has involved her in some of the highest levels of strategic planning within the conference, and that rise up the Big South ladder will continue with her elevation to athletics director.
 
Meadows' ascent through the Division I administrative ranks follows a standout collegiate playing career at Virginia Tech where she remains one of the program's most decorated players. A product of Monacan High School in Richmond, Va., Meadows was both the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Atlantic 10 Student-Athlete of the Year as a senior, and a three-time Academic All-American.
 
Nine years after her graduation, Meadows was elected to the Virginia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame, becoming the first Hokie softball player to receive that honor.
 
Her athletic resume also puts her in extremely rare company, as she pairs with Reveley – who played football at Princeton – to form one of the country's handful of university president and athletics director duos who share Division I athletics backgrounds.  Reveley serves as president of the Big South Conference and as a member of the NCAA's Division I Board of Directors.
 
"I'm incredibly humbled and honored to be entrusted with this awesome responsibility to serve and lead our athletics program," Meadows said. "I want to extend my deepest thanks to President Reveley and the Board of Visitors for this opportunity at a truly special place I've come to care for so deeply. There is more work to be done, and I am fortunate to be able to continue that pursuit with such a remarkable team of coaches, staff, student-athletes and supporters here at Longwood."
 
What They're Saying About Michelle Meadows
 
"Michelle Meadows profoundly understands the mission of Longwood athletics and the university's vision for our program. She has experience that prepares her for every facet of the job, and she is a deeply valued, admired and respected member of our broader university community who knows this place well. But perhaps most important is the extraordinary commitment and care she shows every day for the well-being and success of our student-athletes, making use of her own experience to transform lives and shape citizen-leaders. She has demonstrated beyond all doubt she is ready to be the next leader of Longwood athletics."
-- W. Taylor Reveley IV, Longwood University President (2013-Present)
 
"Throughout her academic, athletic and professional career, Michelle has always been a tremendous leader. Longwood has made a great decision to name her athletics director. Her ability to engage varied constituencies, develop creative strategies and her tremendous work ethic will bode well for the future of Longwood athletics. Without question, her leadership will build on the tremendous growth and success that Longwood has already achieved since moving to Division I under the direction of Troy Austin.  Michelle's vision and commitment to excellence will elevate Longwood Athletics to new heights that will become the model for all young Division 1 programs."
-- Dr. Richard Sander, Athletics Director at ETSU (2013-Present) and Virginia Commonwealth University (1986-2006)
 
"I was thrilled to learn that Longwood made the decision to hire Michelle Meadows to the director of athletics position. Having worked with Michelle for three years, she is someone of extraordinarily high character and intellect. Michelle is the perfect fit to lead the Lancers into what I know will be an extremely bright future."
-- Alex Ricker-Gilbert, Senior Vice President & Athletics Director at Jacksonville University (2016-Present)
 
"Michelle is extremely bright and a person of supreme integrity, and both attributes, along with her tireless work ethic, helped her become a star administrator at the Division I level. She has been as much behind the growth of Longwood athletics over the past 10-plus years as anybody in the department, and the Lancers would not be where they are today without her influence. I have no doubt she will continue to be immensely impactful in her new role and will serve as a tremendous leader to elevate the Lancers to new heights of success."
-- Troy Austin, Senior Associate Athletics Director at Duke University (2018-Present) and Athletics Director at Longwood University (2005-18)

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